


i've seen the waters that make your eyes shine (and now i'm shining too)

by thearchangelofsass



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Light Angst, M/M, Pokemon, Pokemon Training, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-08 01:40:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21467944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thearchangelofsass/pseuds/thearchangelofsass
Summary: Bitty has always dreamed of being a professional Pokémon trainer and has struggled to simply get back on his feet after being kicked out by his parents. Jack has always been expected to follow the footsteps of his father, the greatest Pikachu trainer of all time. When unexpected circumstances bring Bitty to a training camp for the Falconers, chaos ensues. As Bitty tries to find his footing with the Falconers, he also has to juggle his budding feelings for the team captain and his fears of not belonging. Will Bitty survive his crash course on being a professional Pokémon trainer? Or will life throw other plans his way?
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Comments: 11
Kudos: 47
Collections: OMGCP Big Bang 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the 2019 OMGCP big bang! pretty-merris on tumblr did some beautiful art for this fic so please be sure to check it out below, and to check out all the other awesome work in the big bang collection! 
> 
> https://pretty-meris.tumblr.com/post/189128123665

“Bitty! Can you finish up putting those croissants into the oven? We should already be started on the apple turnovers!”

“Uh-” Bitty startles out of his reverie at the mention of his name. “Yes Ms. Atley!” Bitty hurriedly places the remaining trays of buttery pastries into the tall industrial ovens. He’s embarrassed to realize that he was daydreaming yet again at his job, and the bakery hasn’t even opened yet. 

Compared to Bitty’s situation a year ago, his life does feel like a dream. After being outed to his family less than a year after graduating from college, his parents refused to keep supporting him and he’s been working to pay off his student loans ever since. Baking is something that Bitty’s always loved and there’s nothing better than coming into the bakery every morning surrounded with dough and sugar, smelling like butter and deliciousness. 

But in truth, as much as Bitty loves baking, there’s another dream that he’s harbored for years.

“Pika pika!”

Bitty smiles down at his Pokémon. “In a minute Pikachu! I want to finish making this filling.”

Bitty has always been captivated by the world of professional Pokémon trainers, ever since the first time he saw amateurs battling on the local circuit in Georgia. When life at school became very difficult he found comfort in watching all sorts of battle and training videos and even taught himself a lot of the combat moves. When he got to high school, there was a trainer team that competed in local leagues that Bitty desperately wanted to be a part of, but he was small, easily picked on, and he hadn’t found his true Pokémon partner yet. He tried so hard to keep competing on the team with whatever willing Pokémon he could find but this was met with limited success. After a truly ironic incident of being locked in the closet by the trainer team, Bitty took it upon himself to get as far away from home as he could in college, finally ending up at Brown University in Providence. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Providence is a hub for Pokémon fanatics, replete with professional teams and training camps that make itan international draw for trainers seeking to learn. It was with great luck as well that Bitty found his Pikachu in sophomore year of college. Sophomore year was a difficult time for Bitty. He was realizing who his friends really were, and a bad roommate situation that caused him to change housing half way through the year. Bitty really needed some additional support. What luck was it then, to stumble across a Pikachu on his way home from his job working at the library café on campus. He’d heard a mysterious rustling in the bushes and thought it might be a raccoon or something, until he heard a faint “pika pika” that would soon become quite familiar to him. Pikachu was cold and almost looked as if he had been abandoned by a reckless trainer. Bitty took Pikachu back to his dorm that night, dried him off and tucked him into his bed and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Through the constant moves and hardships that Bitty has endured they’ve remained together, supported each other and developed a strong instinctual bond. That instinct, however, can sometimes fall short when Bitty is trying to get work done, such as right now when he is trying to laminate some dough for another batch of puff pastry and Pikachu is just sitting on the counter, getting flour all over himself (and Bitty).

“Young man, haven’t we talked about manners?” Bitty asks in a mock stern voice as he folds the dough over again for another layer of lamination. “Ms. Atley will only let you be with me while I work if you behave yourself!”

“Pika pika!”

Bitty smiles ruefully. “I don’t know what I expected.” After he finishes rolling out the dough he takes off his gloves to snap a picture of flour dusted Pikachu and uploads it to Twitter and Instagram. In his spare time, Bitty has an online vlog channel with his own baking recipes as well as a lot of Pikachu content. Even if it’s not what he wants to do with the rest of his life, Bitty has a lot of fun sharing recipes with people, filming trial and error baking videos in his apartment, filming the shenanigans of his daily life and silly videos with Pikachu. He’s definitely gotten subscribers from Pika’s cuteness. He’s never really formally tried to train Pikachu. They’ve tried some basic attacks, but Bitty has never seen Pokémon training as a potential reality for him; rather as a distant dream that he might reminisce on as an old man out on a porch. He knows he has to pay off his loans and that’s his focus. 

He starts to make more dough so he can put it in the proofing drawer for the whole day.Then it’ll be time to start setting up the displays and formally opening up the bakery. It’s another long day ahead and Bitty hopes that he’ll enjoy it and that he’ll have some charming interactions with customers. Maybe today will be the day that a cute guy comes in and is charmed by what’s left of his southern accent and his cute Pokémon 

It turns out to just be a long day. The butter that Bitty laminated into dough leaks out of the puff pastry when it bakes, making a greasy doughy mess. A customer yells at Bitty for making their coffee order wrong, even though it isn’t, and the cute guy that Bitty thinks might be interested in him immediately says he wants to get the coffee with room for cream in it because that’s how his girlfriend likes it, and Bitty can’t help the sour lonely feeling in his gut. He can not wait to throw himself onto his bed when he reaches his apartment and spend the night watching Chopped with Pikachu. 

But as Bitty and Pikachu turn onto Greens Street, Bitty sees a woman in running clothes in the alleyway behind the grocery store with two guys chasing her, as if attempting to mug her. Without thinking, Bitty steps in front of her and into the fray.

“Pikachu, attack!” Bitty throws a roundhouse kick at the guy closest to him as Pikachu crackles with electricity and charges up, attacking the guy on Bitty’s left. The woman watches curiously as the two move seamlessly together, attacking and defending in turn. Always keeping each other safe but cognizant of where she is and how she is doing. Eventually the disgusting men run off into the alley, tails between their legs, thoroughly beaten and ashamed of themselves. Bitty turns around to check on the woman.

“Are you alright, Ma’am?” Bitty asks. “Would you like me to help you home?”

The woman shakes her head, clearly still unsettled by what’s just happened. “I’m alright, thanks. This city isn’t as safe as it used to be.” She sighs. “I do appreciate you stepping in though. Thank you.”

Bitty shrugs sheepishly. “It was the least I could do.”

“Do you and your Pokémon compete professionally?” She asks. “You two were impressively in sync, not even using many attack names or verbal commands.”

“Haha no,” Bitty laughs nervously. “I love watching the trainer circuits but I’ve never really had the opportunity to train on a real team or compete. Pikachu is more like my best friend than anything else.”

“Hmm,” The woman extends her arm for a handshake, “My name is Georgia Martin, I’m the GM and an exec for the Providence Falconers trainer team.”

Bitty’s eyes widen. “I’m, uh, Eric Bittle, my friends call me Bitty.”

“I see you’ve heard of us,” Georgia says with a smile. “I see real potential in you Eric. You’re from Georgia, right?”

Bitty nods, a wave of memories from home washing over him.

“I remember seeing you compete on the local circuit with your high school team. Even then, you had clear potential. It was clear that you hadn’t found your true Pokémon partner yet.” She gestures to Pikachu, “Now it appears you have.”

“I really appreciate the compliments Ma’am I—” Bitty pauses, “Wait are you also from Georgia?”

“Tragically,” Georgia sighs.“Insert joke about Georgia from Georgia here.” They both laugh. 

“In all seriousness Bitty,” Georgia continues, “I’d like to think that tonight wasn’t a chance meeting. I think you could really benefit from some proper training, and I’d like to offer you a place at the upcoming Falconers training camp. If you mesh well with the team, you may be able to join and begin competing for the Falconers on the local and national circuit.”

“But I’m not even a professional,” Bitty protests, “and not to mention I have a job! I have to keep up with my student loan payments!”

“If that’s an issue we’ll pay it all upfront,” Georgia says, “if that means you being there.” She sighs. “The truth is that the past few seasons have been rough for us, and the team is having trouble coming back together in the way that I know they can. We need a kind of cohesive figure to help bring the team together, especially in group battles and I have a hope that you could be it.”

“Uh…” Bitty is absolutely dumbfounded and overwhelmed. “I’ll have to think about it,” he says. “There’s… a lot to consider.”

“Of course,” Georgia concedes, “and I’m sure you’ve had a long day as well.” She hands him a business card. “Here’s my information if you want to get in touch. I really hope you do. Thanks again!”

“Don’t mention it,” Bitty breathes as she takes off jogging, disappearing into the night.

As soon he reaches home, Bitty burrows himself into his bed and wills himself to sleep, not wanting to deal with the confounding events of the day until morning.


	2. Chapter 2

“...and over here are our work out and weight lifting rooms,” Georgia explains, gesturing to some glass walled rooms with weight racks in them. Bitty nods, taking everything in with wide eyes. Bitty, albeit reluctantly and after some soul searching, called Georgia and agreed to at least do the training camp as a sort of trial run, even though he was clear that he still had doubts about the whole professional Pok é mon trainer life. Georgia was very understanding and has been wonderfully kind to Bitty, as has everyone he’s met so far. Bitty has to admit, the training facilities are rather impressive. In addition to the standard workout room there are also specialized feeding and lounging rooms for the Pok é mon themselves, as well as a variety of different practice arenas that play to different strengths. Pikachu was already quite taken with the other Pokémon in the space, already engaging in some play fighting with a Venosaur and a Vaporean in the feeding area. Bitty smiles at Pikachu’s excitement and decides to not disturb him as Georgia continues the tour. 

As they walk through a large hallway, Bitty sees a row of photos hung on the wall, including a large one of three men holding a large silver cup. It’s captioned “Jack, Snowy, and Tater after Winning the Oak Cup, 2015.”

“Who are they?” Bitty asks Georgia, pointing at the photo. Georgia smiles fondly as her eyes land on the frame.

“Some of my favorite ruffians,” Georgia replies. “They’re all part of the older generation of Falconers, back when we were at the top of our game. But Snowy had to retire and then Tater had that freak injury, and Jack…” Georgia’s voice trails off, “Jack is the only remaining member from that era of the Falconers. Most of the current members are newer recruits who are either fresh off the college training circuit or are still getting their bearings in the professional leagues. Jack is kind of the unofficial team captain. People look up to him, but he hasn’t always been the unifying figure that we’ve needed.”

“So has Jack been a professional for a while then?” Bitty asks, sensing tension behind Georgia’s words.

“Not really for someone his age,” Georgia says, “2015 was only Jack’s second professional season with the team. There’s a lot of expectation riding on that kid.”

Bitty senses that it’s not wise to press further and makes a note to ask someone else on the team what the deal is with Jack. Whoever he is, there’s a nebulous dark cloud around him that Bitty can’t quite discern. 

“Now here are the dormitory blocks,” Georgia explains as they walk down a hallway lined with numbered rooms. “It’s easier for a lot of team members to have lodging here at the training center. Trainers that are only here for the training camp often stay here.” She stops in front of a door painted a light shade of pink, room 644. “This is your room.” She fumbles around in her pocket for a moment before producing a key that she hands to Bitty. “You won’t have a roommate so you’ll have a moment of quiet to yourself. I’m sure this is all pretty overwhelming.”

Bitty nods rapidly. His usual chattiness has definitely been swallowed up by the overwhelming amount of information and new environment he’s been exposed to in the last couple of hours.

“Just make sure you’re back at the main lounge area by two,” Georgia says, “You remember where that is, right?”

Bitty is not entirely sure he does, but he nods anyway, deciding that locating the lounge will be a problem for his future self.

“We’ll all be meeting there to give an overview of the structure of the camp and the kind of drills we’ll be doing. It’ll also give you a good idea of the dynamic of the teams and you’ll start to learn who everyone is.”

“Thanks so much, Georgia,” Bitty says. “I really appreciate you giving me this opportunity.”

“Call me George,” she says, waving Bitty off as she begins to take her leave. “See you at two!”

Bitty gives her a parting smile before turning back to face the door in front of him. He takes a deep breath. The situation is vaguely reminiscent of a college move in day. Except there are no bustling parents, no tearful goodbyes, no sense of returning. Just Bitty alone with his thoughts and memories. He shoves the key into the lock and twists it hard to the right. It swings open to reveal a small room with a skinny twin bed, a desk, a chair, and a dusty lamp.

“Now this really takes me back to freshman year,’ Bitty says to himself. He remembers his dad saying that he could fix up the battered desk lamp that came with his room and failing miserably. He remembers his mom pressing an extra bag of home baked goods into his hand in case the dining hall food was awful. He vividly remembers the moment his roommate, Wemby, showed up. Wemby was a little preppy, to stay the least. But regardless, he was able to charm the pants off of Mama Bittle and Coach in a split second. Even after Wemby transferred to UCLA sophomore year, the Bittles continued to ask after the ‘nice young man in the university chorus.’ Bitty pauses unpacking his clothes to think about his parents for a moment. Bitty can’t even really remember how it was to call his parents each week, to be texting his mom throughout the day. To try and engage with Coach about football during the Superbowl. Of course it’s normal that he’s still sad about his parents not accepting him, Bitty knows this on a fundamental level. Lord knows he’s been told this by his therapist more than enough times. Yet he still hates that sickening heat, that tightening in his chest and that stiffness in his body he gets whenever he thinks about his parents. It feels like the rest of the world falls away until it’s just aching nothingness around him and there’s a deep chill in his bones that can’t possibly go away, no matter how much time he takes to heal, no matter what may change in the future. This is all normal. This is all temporary. Bitty knows this. That doesn’t make it hurt any less.

Bitty is broken out of his sad reverie by the sound of a commotion outside.  _ Now this really reminds me of living in a dorm _ , Bitty thinks. He pokes his head out of his door to try and discern where the noise is coming from. The shouting and now the smell of burning appears to be coming from somewhere further up the hall. As he approaches what appears to be some sort of communal kitchen, he can hear the yelling voices more clearly.

“Nursey, how on earth did you forget to set a timer!” A voice yells. “This thing is all burnt to shit now!”

“Are you for real Dex?” Another voice ,presumably Nursey, shouts back. “I made a mistake, no big deal. Chill.”

Bitty finally reaches the kitchen to see two men despairingly hunched over an oven, while another with spiky black hair looks on worriedly.

“It’s okay guys!” The black haired man says, “We can just bake another pie!” 

Pie? Now that gets Bitty’s attention. However out of place he may feel at this training camp, Bitty knows what he’s about, and that means he knows how to bake a damn good pie.

“I don’t mean to interrupt—” All three heads whipped around to face Bitty, “But I do know how to make a damn good pie if I do say so myself. Y’all mind if I help you out?”

“Please do!” They chorus, “we need all the help we can get!”

One of the men squatting by the oven stands up. “I don’t think we’ve met before. ”

“I’m Bitty,” Bitty rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, “I’m here for the training camp.”

“Oh, you must be the person George was talking about!” The dark haired man exclaims. “I’m Chris Chow, but you can call me Chowder! This is Dex and Nursey!” 

“S’up?” Nursey asks with a nod. Dex gives a polite nod.

“Now let’s get this mess figured out,” Bitty says. He helps Nursey pull the charred pie out of the oven and they dump the burned shell into the trash. “Now what kind of pie were y’all trying to make?”

“Well we compromised on pecan pie,” Chowder says, “But clearly we didn’t do it right…”

“Nonsense,” Bitty says. “Pecan is one of my favorites! I make it all the time.” Before anyone can really react Bitty begins to bustle around the kitchen, grabbing a bag a flour, a mixing bowl, and whatever assorted utensils he can find.

“So I’m guessing you bake?” Dex deadpans.

“Sure do,” Bitty replies cheerfully, happy to feel back in his element. “I work at Grace Street bakery in the city.”

“That’s so cool!” Chowder exclaims. “My girlfriend loves your almond croissants!”

“Wait so you’re not a pro-trainer?” Nursey asks.

Bitty can’t help the wave of anxiety that floods through him at Nursey’s question. He has to pause before lowering the pie dough into a tin.

“I used to battle on the local training circuit when I was younger, but it just wasn’t in the cards for me after…” Bitty’s voice trails off. “After college. So I’ve just been trying to pay off my loans and try my best.” Bitty feels a bit of a chill in the room now. “I’m super grateful to Georgia for the opportunity, though! It’s super exciting to meet y’all.” Bitty turns away from them to focus on pouring their left over filling into the tin but it’s more for his own comfort so he doesn’t have to make eye contact with them. Even though it’s been less than a day, Bitty can’t help be feel the growing bubble of ‘you are out of place you are out of place you are out of place’ just growing in his chest. 

“That’s great, Bitty,” Dex finally says. “I remember having to work my ass off for bills in college. I hope you end up sticking around.” 

Bitty smiles softly to himself.

“So how long have y’all been playing with the Falconers?” Bitty asks after he slides the pie into the oven and dusts his hands off. “Georgia told me a little about how the team is changing and restructuring ”

“The three of us all just got here a couple of months ago,” Chowder explains. “So we’re still pretty new as well. Lardo, Shitty, Ransom and Holster got here a few months before we did. And Jack’s been around for… well it seems like forever.”

“I was meaning to ask,” Bitty starts hesitantly. “About Jack—”

“What’s up you beautiful bastards!” A tall white guy with an impressive mane of hair bursts into the room dramatically, accompanied by a far shorter Asian girl with a cool looking undercut, sporting a paint splattered t-shirt.

“Nothing much, Shitty,” Nursey says. “We burned our pie real bad, but the new guy Bitty is helping us make a new one.”

“Good to meet you Bitty,” the girl says, extending a hand. “I’m Lardo, short for Larissa, and that maelstrom over there is Shitty.”

“Is his name really ‘Shitty’?” Bitty asks, wondering if he simply misheard her.

“We all go by nicknames around here, but no one really knows Shitty’s real name,” Lardo pauses. “Except for maybe Jack, since they went to college together.”

Bitty can’t help his own curiosity. “Lardo, what’s up with Jack?” Bitty can definitely feel a new coldness in her eyes that wasn’t there before.

“What do you mean?” She asks, her face pinching slightly.

“Oh nothing really,” Bitty says, his cheeks reddening. “Georgia just commented on how he’s the oldest player around and…it just seems like he’s got a lot on his shoulders.” Lardo lets out a breath, as if Bitty’s passed some unseen test.

“Yeah,” She replies. “His dad’s a really famous Pikachu trainer, and he gets a lot of pressure from that. He got crowned unofficial team captain from day one and he’s…” She crinkles her brow, as if thinking of the best way to phrase what she’s about to say. “He’s had to deal with a lot in his past. Sometimes that makes things difficult for him. But it isn’t really my story to tell.”

Bitty nods in understanding, not wanting to pry. “Thanks Lardo, I appreciate it.” 

“Not at all!” Lardo smiles. “So where are you rooming for the camp, Bitty?”

“Uh, Room 644.”

“We’re neighbors!” Lardo exclaims. “I live across the hall and Jack lives next door.”

Bitty can’t help the little flip his stomach does at the mention of Jack.

“Feel free to stop by whenever,” Lardo says. “I know how hard it can be starting off new, especially with this group of buffoons.” She gestures to Nursey and Shitty having some sort of pushup contest while Dex and Chowder are ‘refereeing.’

Bitty can’t help but laugh. _Maybe this won’t be too bad after all_, Bitty thinks. With the smell of pecans and laughter in the air, it feels like nothing can possibly go wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

Bitty’s pecan pie ends up being delicious, surprising no one currently gathered in the kitchen.

“Fucking hell, Bitty, this is incredible!” Shitty declares. “How can we can convince you to stay forever?”

Bitty laughs nervously through the discomfort and anxiety that thinking about his future with the Falconers brings. He makes his best effort to put a smile on his face however, still wanting to endear himself to this new bunch of nice folks who might even end up being some of his good friends.

“Yea, do you take mail orders, Bitty?” Chowder asks as he shovels another bite of pie into his mouth. “I always wanna send my girlfriend some good pecan pie ‘cause it’s her favorite, but Farmer’s at grad school all the way out in California.” 

Nursey gives Chowder a few hearty pats on the back. “Stay strong, Chow,” he says, comfortingly. “You’ll get to go visit her when she’s on break soon!”

“It’ll be okay,” Dex adds, before contributing his own awkward pat on the back.

In spite of their chaotic and somewhat combative introduction, Bitty already feels a warmth and softness for these three.  _ If I was my mother I’d probably describe them as ‘charming young men,’ _ Bitty thinks to himself, before then ruminating on why his mother suddenly sprung to mind in this completely unrelated scenario. Lardo seems to notice this slight withdrawal in Bitty and takes this opportunity to throw her arm around Bitty’s shoulders and subsequently redirecting the conversation.

“Well, it’s just about team meeting time!” Lardo declares. “Let’s make way to the lounge, losers!”

Bitty is forcibly shaken out of thoughts as the level of chaos in the room is once again amped up.

“Yeah let’s go!” Shitty shouts. “You haven’t even met Ransom and Holster! Or Jack to boot!” Shitty’s hair swirls around him in his exuberance. “Beautiful bastards, all of them!”

“Are RansomandHolster one person or two people?” Bitty asks quietly to Lardo, who is gently steering him out of the kitchen with the rest of the ragtag team in tow.

“Two people,” Lardo says with a laugh. “They’re practically joined at the hip, always doing stupid shit, but their defense in team combat is incredible.” 

Bitty nods, trying to take in Lardo’s words as well as all of the swirling conversations around him. While Bitty did compete on the local training circuit and has followed professional competition for years and years, there’s something still so surreal and overwhelming about actually talking to people who know what it’s like, who have actually trained so intensely for this, who can talk about combat and Pokémon fighting like it’s no big deal. It’s dizzying and exhilarating and amazing all at once, but Bitty can’t help but feel even more completely out of his depth.  _ Why did you pick me, Georgia, _ Bitty wonders to himself as Lardo starts talking about the rescue Lotad she adopted  _ Do I really belong here? _ Bitty squeezes his eyes tight shut for a second, opening them again as he exhales.  _ Regardless, I should still try my best _ , Bitty concludes,  _ whether I deserve all this or not _ .

The lounge is a spacious room with the same hyper-modern décor as the rest of the facility. A large circular sectional dominates most of the room, dotted with enough pillows and blankets to put the Target Home Section to shame. A couple of people are already seated comfortably, and Bitty assumes they must be Ransom and Holster. He’s happy to recognize Georgia’s smiling face as she stands at the front of the room. She sends Bitty a warm gaze and Bitty feels himself brighten up slightly. Georgia just seems to have that effect on people.

“Hey George!” Lardo calls across the room. “Do you have any updates on the new training program you said you had for Vape?”

“Absolutely!” Georgia says, waving Lardo over.

“Vape?” Bitty asks aloud to no one in particular.

“That’s what Lardo named her Vaporeon,” Dex explains. “I still don’t think it’s  _ that _ funny, but she seems to get a kick out of it.”

“It’s a fucking genius name, Dexy,” Shitty interjects. “No two ways about it.”

“I’ve never seen a Vaporeon in person before,” Bitty admits. “It’ll be real exciting to start training with you guys and see who your partners are.”

“Yoooooo!” An overwhelming force that can only be described as bro energy approaches Bitty from his left side. “You must be the new guy!”

Bitty has to look up slightly to see a tall white guy with peach cargo shorts and glasses standing next to a tall brown guy with a snapback.

“Bitty, these are the beauts themselves,” Shitty explains, “Holster and Ransom. Rans and Holtzy. The dynamic duo, if you will.”

“Good to meet ya, Bitty,” Holster says. “I hope you’re ready for your first night out with the team. If we can convince Jack to not have practice the next day, we can go as long and hard as we want.”

“You should’ve seen him in college,” Ransom says with a fake whisper. “Don’t be too intimidated though. We work hard so we can party hard!”

“Also  _ Brunch _ ,” Holster says, “As you are a new initiate, I cannot stress enough to you the importance, the  _ sanctity  _ that is Team Brunch on the weekend.”

“As long as I can make you guys my famous strawberry rhubarb pancakes sometime,” Bitty says, “I’m always down for brunch.”

“A man after my own heart.” Holster nods with mock solemnity for a moment before both he and Ransom break into child-like snickers. 

“Alright, alright,” Georgia says, trying her best to project over the chorus of chortling jocks. “Could we all have a seat please? I’d like to wrap this up quickly so y’all can start resting up for tomorrow morning’s calisthenics!” Her smile after saying that doesn’t seem quite as warm as her usual one.

“Yes, Ma’am!” Shitty declares loudly, and scrambles towards a seat along with everyone else. As Bitty ambles over to a seat., someone roughly brushes past him, almost knocking him out of the way.

“Sorry,” a low voice says curtly, as Bitty is still processing the impact. When Bitty is finally able to actually take his seat, Bitty realizes that said owner of gruff apology voice appears to be none other than unofficial team captain, golden boy Jack Zimmermann. 

_ For a team captain he doesn’t act much like it _ , Bitty thinks to himself as he takes in Jack’s slightly furrowed brow and crossed arms. But then, Ransom leans over to whisper something to Jack and a small smile creeps up Jack’s lips.

_ He’s cute in person too _ , Bitty realizes.  _ Fuck _ .

“Thank you all for coming,” Georgia says, finally starting the meeting in earnest. “I’ll be meeting with each of you individually to go over a training routine for you with your Pokémon, but for now, I just want to go over the basic format of what we’ll be doing for the next couple of weeks.” She pauses to take a breath. “Now I’m sure you’re all aware that our last season wasn’t our best.”

There are winces and quiet grimaces that pop up throughout the room.

“What we’ve been doing clearly hasn’t been working,” Georgia continues. “We still want to focus on cultivating individual strengths, but we need these strengths to work cohesively and connectedly as a team unit.” Georgia looks down. “Otherwise it all falls apart in team combat.”

The atmosphere in the room is still pretty tense, but cold frustration seems to be positively radiating off of Jack, and Bitty can’t help but feel his intimidation by Jack actively growing in that moment.

“We want to spend more time group conditioning, conditioning  _ with _ your Pokémon, and more inter-team and casual scrimmages to help practice communication, timing, and teamwork. I’ve sent you all the exact schedule for tomorrow, and I expect to see you all dressed and ready to go at 7 a.m. in the main gym.”

“Yes, drill sergeant,” Nursey mutters. George rolls her eyes, but makes no other outward sign that she heard Nursey’s comment.

“I definitely don’t expect this training camp to be easy for anyone,” Georgia admits, “But if we work hard this off-season and make some breakthroughs with how we practice and communicate, I’m sure the Falconers will have their best season yet!” Georgia turns to Bitty. “Speaking of changes, as I’m sure you all already know we have a new Pokémon trainer to welcome to our ranks. Bitty and his Pikachu will be with us for the duration of this training period, perhaps longer depending on how everything shakes out.”

Despite how open-ended Georgia makes his commitment seem, Bitty can’t help but feel anxiety and pressure creeping back into his mind. As exciting as everything is, it’s also undeniably overwhelming, and Bitty is struggling to reconcile the clashing emotions in his head.

“I expect you all to be very welcoming,” Georgia says in a tone evocative of a mother admonishing young children, “and to help Bitty get acquainted with scheduling, how mealtimes work, etc. Make sure to get plenty of rest tonight! If any one has any questions, you know where to find me.

“I know you’re like a gourmet chef,” Shitty says to Bitty once the meeting has broken up, “but the food prepared here isn’t bad in my book! Our nutritionist Kayla approves everything, so it’s super easy to keep on diet.”

“Hey Bitty,” Chowder pipes up, “If you want, I can show you where all the laundry stuff is later. Before long, you won’t wanna just keep piling your sweaty clothes somewhere in your room.”

“I suppose you could also cook,” Shitty continues. “What Kayla doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

The overlapping messages of welcoming and support do help to make Bitty feel included.  _ Perhaps things won’t be as overwhelming and scary if I have this whole team backing me up  _ , he thinks. But in spite of all the love and support Bitty is receiving, he also notices Jack, who has sat up from his place on the coach only to go over to Georgia. Jack is speaking in hushed tones but there’s one snippet of conversation that Bitty can make out clearly:

“What experience does he have? Why is he here?”

He has to be talking about Bitty, and Bitty feels a sadly familiar clenching in his stomach.

“If it’s alright guys, I might take a short nap before dinner,” Bitty says. “Y’all are so sweet! Everything is just so new… and different.”

“Of course,” Lardo says. “Take your time and rest up Bitty. We’ll see you in the dining hall!”

As Bitty walks back down to the hallway to his room, he can’t help but continue to turn Jack’s words over and over again in his head.  _ Why  _ ** _am_ ** _ I here?  _ Bitty wonders to himself again, his self-doubt returning for its same old chorus, yet again. As Bitty finally reaches the safety of his room and slumps down on his bed, he can’t help but wish he could call his mom.


	4. Chapter 4

Bitty is still avoiding Jack. It’s been about a week since Bitty first arrived at the training camp and it still feels like there’s a dark cloud that encircles the whole room whenever Jack walks in. Bitty nearly dropped his spoon when Jack wandered into the kitchen the other morning, and what was perhaps more disturbing was that Jack proceeded to open the communal fridge, remove a giant mason jar full of oatmeal from the fridge and eat the entire thing across the kitchen table from Bitty, not making any conversation the entire time. There is something uniquely horrifying about listening to a burly man loudly chew oatmeal for what feels like hours on end in the early morning. Bitty still can’t quite fathom that those events actually happened. Bitty has also learned in the past week that the giant grocery bags full of bananas and yams taking up a good corner of the kitchen also belong to Jack, only adding to Jack’s cryptid status. Other than that, Jack seems perfectly friendly with the other team members, and has even started trying to wave a stiff hello to Bitty in the hallway in the mornings. Bitty still isn’t quite sold.

In deep contrast, Bitty has found himself getting rather close to the other Falconers. Last night ,Bitty spent in the lounge with Lardo, Ransom, and Holster watching the new season of Queer Eye and doing face masks. While Bitty still feels like the ground could open up beneath him at any moment, he feels like he’s found some genuine friends here. Pikachu seems especially happy, which is a huge relief to Bitty. The last thing he ever wanted to do was stress out Pikachu for the sake of his pro-trainer dreams, but as the night got long in the lounge, Bitty saw Pikachu curling up next to Ransom’s Jolteon and softly going ‘pika pika’, which made Bitty’s heart swell with warmth. Pikachu had been a comforting constant for Bitty for so long and it was nice to know that in spite of all of the changes in the past week, nothing has changed between them.

After a light breakfast, Bitty heads to the gym for solo weight lifting and cardio exercises. There’s something that Bitty finds so soothing about sweating and striving in alone in the gym, with only Pikachu and Beyoncé pounding in his ears for company. Lardo is the sole person in the gym when Bitty gets there, which Bitty isn’t too surprised by. It’s a Sunday, which is more or less the only free day in their training schedule. While their training schedule demands for them to wake up early a lot, Bitty finds himself waking up even earlier than demanded from nightmares. His mom standing over him asking him why can’t he be normal and just get married and have kids. Pikachu being taken from him. His new teammates all ganging up on him and kicking him out. Bitty shudders involuntarily.

_ Focus _ , he commands himself,  _ stretch, lift weights, stretch, lift weights. _ Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is not think and just breathe. As if sensing Bitty’s distress, Pikachu is there, nuzzling Bitty’s leg.

“Pika pika?”

Bitty can’t help but crack a smile. “I’m okay, buddy.” He leans down to pet Pikachu’s head, which the Pokémon accepts happily. Bitty switches the playlist that he’s listening to to one that’s a little more upbeat, before going back to the warm ups he was doing. It’s time to forget the world in sweat, and Bitty goes gladly, happy to escape his thoughts and lose himself to the music.

…

Bitty isn’t even that far into his work out before a ruckus breaks out in the gym.

“What on earth?” Bitty mutters to himself. He takes his headphones out and turns around to see Shitty and Ransom , dragging a rather disgruntled looking Jack in their wake. Jack must have just gotten out of the shower because his hair is still quite wet, and Bitty can’t help draw the mental comparison to how Pikachu looks after he’s been out in the rain for too long. The look is kinda cute on Jack, actually. Bitty has to put a hand over his mouth to stifle a snicker.

“Hello boys,” Lardo calls, removing herself from the elliptical machine to address the gaggle of men that has just entered the gym. “What brings you here, disturbing mine and Bitty’s sanctum of sweat?” Lardo sends Bitty an exaggerated wink that elicits another snicker.

“My dearest Lardo,” Shitty exclaims. “We have come to invite you and your dear associate to a team wide scrimmage. Purely for the shits and giggles of it all, of course.”

Holster’s Exploud lets out a loud series of roars that sounds vaguely like a trumpet fanfare.

“Oh hell yes!” Lardo excitedly jogs over to Bitty. “This is one of the best parts of training! You have to come.”

Bitty senses that there isn’t exactly room for him to argue here and scoops Pikachu up in his arms before following the rest of the group out of the gym.

“What…style of scrimmage are we doing?” Bitty asks, attempting to sound like he knows more about what’s going on than he actually does. Lardo seems to catch his drift and grins.

“Basically we’ll go four on four, or I guess four on five since you’re here, on the indoor field.” Lardo notes Bitty’s still evident confusion. “This isn’t meant for individual training, but for simulating team battles. You just want to get the ball through the hoop on the other team’s side of the field, but you have to work with your teammates to get around the other team and their Pokémon, make sense?”

Bitty nods, a bit of a clearer idea in his mind. Trainer teams usually field 8 at a time, but the scrimmage set up can’t be that far off.

“Reminder that you should not be using Pokémon attacks to kill!” Shitty shouts. “Only seriously injure, but no death!”

“Yes, because Bitty is clearly the type to go all sicko mode,” Ransom replies.

“You never know,” Shitty shoots back, “Beneath that charming Southern hospitality lies a ruthless lion, ready to pounce.” He completes the gag with an imitation of a snarl and a claw scratch, which makes all of them burst out laughing.

“Looks like we’re all here,” Jack says, the first words Jack’s uttered since Bitty has joined the group.

Bitty gasps as he takes in the field space. No matter how many times he sees the indoor field, Bitty doesn’t think he’s ever going to be able to process airplane hanger-esque ceiling, the shimmering lights, and the sheer immensity of the hoops, the turf grass, the terrain. Everything. 

The rest of the team appears to already be gathered, their Pokémon rolling and reveling in the space around them. Bitty smiles as he notices Chowder cooing over his Gible, as per usual. Chowder having a shark Pokémon always seems like one of those improbable, yet perfect matches between trainer and Pokémon. Chowder is a crazy talented athlete in his own right, but he and Gible could very well defeat their opponents with the sheer cuteness of their interactions alone.

“Alright, listen up everyone!” Jack voice booms in the large space and Bitty can’t help but be a little startled.

It’s not often that Bitty’s around to see Jack come into his leadership role, but Bitty can’t deny that there’s something magnetic about Jack in those brief moments.

“Even though today is a free training day, “Jack continues, “we want to continue practicing our communication and teamwork skills. Functioning as a unit isn’t something that can be taught or forced. It comes over time, and we can only improve if we practice outside of our regular schedule as well.”

The team nods in agreement.

“I also want everyone to take a turn picking scrimmage teams,” Jack adds. “Even with insights given to me by the coaches, my best understanding of how we work together is going to come from you guys directly. I know I…” Jack looks down. “I haven’t always been the best about that in the past, and I want to work on changing it this season.”

Bitty feels something stir in his chest at Jack’s words, but he’s not really sure what.

“And that’s why Jackie-boy here has let me pick the teams for this week’s scrimmage!” Shitty does a little jump as he makes his announcement, and Jack laughs. “So on the far side of the court we have, me, Dex, Nursey, and Lardo as team one.”

Bitty’s brow furrows.  _ Doesn’t that mean… _

“So for team two we have Ransom, Holster, Chowder, Jack, and Bitty”

Bitty looks over at Jack, who now has his Articuno sitting at his feet. He’s no longer laughing.

“Well what are you all waiting for!” Shitty yells. “Get to your places, you brutes!”

Bitty walks over to his team’s side, sticking tightly to Ransom and Chowder. The feeling in his stomach at the moment reminds him vaguely of he felt in gym classes as a child, when he had to play flag football against all the most terrifying boys in his grade. But now Bitty is competing against people he considers his friends, and Bitty can’t quite decide if that’s better or worse.

“Ready to show us everything you got, Bitty?” Chowder asks, giving a friendly nudge with his elbow.

“Absolutely,” Bitty says, turning his Southern charm way up to try and mask the jitteriness that he feels.

“Don’t sweat it too much, Bitty,” Holster says, not even looking up from his Exploud, who he’s currently giving a pre-game treat. “In a minute you won’t even have time to think.”

Unconvinced, Bitty fiddles with the strings on his jogger pants absentmindedly, and wonders if he’ll be able to handle what’s about to happen.

…

As it turns out, Holster is absolutely right, and as soon as the ball is sent up to indicate the start of the game, the field descends into absolute chaos. Bitty is simply doing his best to keep up as battle rages around him, the game ball whizzing through the air. Jack sails above him on ice from his Articuno to intercept the ball before it reaches Dex. Dex’s Charizard breathes fire at Jack and Jack takes a defensive stance only to have the ball stolen by Lardo and her Vaporeon, who passes the ball to Shitty’s Bayleaf, and… It’s almost too much for Bitty to keep up with, but he is enjoying getting to actually battle with Pikachu, even if it’s not clear if he’s on offence or defense. Bitty manages to zap Shitty with Pikachu’s lightning, giving Chowder an opening to steal the ball back for team two.

“Thanks Bitty!” Chowder exclaims, flashing a quick grin and a thumbs up before getting back to business. Bitty has to suddenly roll out of the way to avoid a sound strike from Holster’s Exploud that ricocheted off of the goal post, but in his rush he hears the tell tale bell sound that signifies they’ve scored another goal.  _ Twenty points _ , Bitty realizes,  _ we just need one more to get to twenty one!  _ Bitty feels his body suddenly going on autopilot, and leaping away as Ransom rushes past him. So far he’s managed to avoid any direct physical contact during this scrimmage and he sincerely plans on keeping it that way. 

Bitty finds himself running, sparks flying from Pikachu at his heels, and he zips between the others with ferocious speed, so startling that some members of the other team stop in their tracks. Shitty fumbles the ball and it rolls to Bitty who catches it easily. As Pikachu protects him from an incoming attack from Shitty’s Bayleaf, Bitty realizes that this is his chance. He’s running and running, and the hoop is there he’s approaching and--

He closes his eyes and throws.

The bell sounds, declaring twenty one points for team two.

“HELL YEAH!” Ransom and Holster scream in unison, cheering and whooping from down on the other end of the field. “GO BITTY!!”

Bitty opens his eyes and can’t help the broad grin that creeps up his face. He can hardly believe himself and believe the world around him. As he looks around he notices Jack looking at him in a sort of indiscernible way, and Bitty is opening his mouth and running over before he knows what he’s doing. 

“Jack!” Bitty calls. “Jack! Jack! Did you see that? Did you see it?” Bitty’s voice is giddy with victory and light.

“Bittle,” Jack’s voice is a gruff whisper, as if he’s holding back a barrel full of other words that might explode out at any point. “It was a lucky shot.” He then turns around and walks away from Bitty and out the door.

Bitty fights back his tears.  _ Why do I keep doing things wrong _ , Bitty wonders, not knowing that Jack is just around the corner, thinking the exact same thing.


	5. Chapter 5

Bitty is shaken after the scrimmage for a number of reasons. For starters, being hailed as the hero of the hour by (most of) his teammates is an entirely new feeling. Lardo and Shitty seem especially proud of him, and they even cook up a grilled chicken dish for a small dinner to celebrate the success of Bitty’s first scrimmage. Bitty hardly feels like he did that much during the match but can’t help the pride and warmth that he feels at being recognized, especially by people he’s come to care about very much.

Bitty also can’t stop thinking about what actually led his victorious shot, his running away so he wouldn’t get hit by other’s attacks. Having been bullied as a kid, Bitty has never been the biggest fan of sudden physical contact, but particularly in a trainer battle setting. The end of scrimmage especially had brought back memories of the regional trainer circuit from when Bitty was younger that he had worked so hard to suppress. Violent tackles, biting words, being slammed into lockers. It all comes back in small white hot bursts that make Bitty feel like he’s constantly dancing with vertigo and vertigo is a vicious leader. Individual training is about the same as last week, but in group training exercises and smaller two on two scrimmages supervised by Georgia and the coaches, Bitty is all over the place, diving and running wildly when the dangerous of reality of being hit becomes a little too close for comfort. No one really says anything because it isn’t yet obviously impacting Bitty’s playing but Bitty can tell everyone notices, or at least that’s how it feels. He feels Georgia’s eyes burn into his back when he leaves group training, sweat and tears mixing on his face. He swears he can here Chowder whispering with Dex and Nursey about him. Jack is as unreadable as ever, but he’s probably thinking something negative as well. At least that’s how it seems in Bitty’s mind. 

Bitty thinks the solution lies in pushing himself to the brink, so when he can’t sleep, he finds himself going to the gym instead, working on the rowing machine until his arms burn like hellfire or running on the treadmill until his lungs feel like molten liquid and his legs feel like bags of sand. He doesn’t think anyone had really noticed/cared but one morning at an ungodly 4:50 am Bitty peels himself off of one of the exercise machines to find that someone has left him a Gatorade on one of the weightlifting benches. With his earbuds in, Bitty hadn’t heard anyone come in while he was working out, but he can’t possibly think of who would know that he was up at such a time, and would know that he could use a cool drink. Bitty’s tired enough that he can’t bring himself to muster up the energy to question further and just chugs the Gatorade gratefully. He doesn't have time to think about his mystery benefactor; he has to fit in a cooldown and a shower before team breakfast at 7:30. As much as Bitty just wants to crash, he feels like he needs to keep going going going going. How else is he going to overcome this new obstacle? He throws his now finished Gatorade into the recycling bin. Back to work. It’s 5:00 am.

…

Bitty ends up crashing much sooner than he could have anticipated, even given how harsh he’s been on himself for the last several days. With more group training, Bitty had just counted on running quickly and blindly as he had before, but an attack from Ransom’s Jolteon had blindsided him, sending Bitty’s senses out of whack. And when Nursey’s Ivysaur delivered a hard hipcheck to steal the ball, it was all over for Bitty. Every around Bitty had just become too bright, too loud, too hard, too much too much too much and soon Bitty finds himself going horizontal, and his vision going dark. He blacks out before he hits the ground, and doesn’t quite wake up afterwards. All he can make out his that someone is carrying him, and it seems like Pikachu is maybe making some noises. That’s all Bitty can discern before he loses consciousness again, returning to a dreamless slumber.

When Bitty opens his eyes again, it takes him a second to realize where he is. He takes in his blue bed sheets and Pikachu curled up beside him. And Jack Zimmermann sitting at his desk chair.

_When did I get to my room_, Bitty thinks, _and why is Jack fucking Zimmermann sitting on my chair?_

“You’re awake.” Jack’s voice is the softest Bitty’s ever heard it and it’s kinda nice. Gravely.

Bitty tries to sit up, and a large warm hand is instantly around his shoulders helping him.

“Careful,” Jack urges. “You passed out pretty bad from the shock.”

“So embarrassing,” Bitty mutters, cheeks red, not really making eye contact with Jack.

“It’s not embarrassing,” Jack says. “Checking is scary, even from your own teammates.”

Bitty tensely runs a hand through his hair and doesn’t say anything in response.

“Euh,” Jack puts a hand on the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, Bittle.”

Bitty’s head whips up, absolutely sure that he’s somehow still asleep and that this is surely some kind of bizarre dream.

“I-uh was rather rude about the scrimmage results and honestly about everything since you came here.” Jack hangs his head. “I’m…very protective of this team and how it changes. But that doesn’t excuse at all how I treated you. And I’m sorry.” Jack chews his lip. “I’ve been trying to make up for it with the Gatorade and I tried to make you a pie that didn’t quite work out…” Jack’s voice trails off. “But if you’d like me to leave now that you’re conscious again I completely understand. My apologies again.”

Bitty is utterly stunned by a number of things that Jack has said, especially what seems to be an actually genuine apology but what comes out of Bitty’s mouth is:

“The Gatorade was you?” Bitty shakes his head. “I thought I was losing it.”

“Not at all,” Jack chuckles. “I’d just noticed you were also up early, and I thought you could use it. I hope the blue flavor was okay. That’s all that was in the fridge.”

“Blue’s my favorite flavor!” Bitty smiles.

“Mine too.” Maybe it’s Bitty’s imagination, but Jack’s cheeks seem a little pinker than they were a minute or two ago.

“And you mentioned an attempt at pie?” Bitty asks, his curiosity still unsatisfied.

“Ha yeah,” Jack replies sheepishly. “Shitty mentioned how much you like to bake so I thought it might be a good idea to make a ‘sorry for being an ass’ pie. But it went really wrong.” Jack sighs frustratedly. “I thought I followed the recipe correctly and everything but the butter leaked out of the crust so it was just all greasy and gross. Even Chowder couldn’t come up with anything nice to say.

Bitty can’t help but laugh. “That bad huh?” He laughs again at Jack’s sheepish nod.

“Fear not Mr. Zimmermann, once I’m up and around I’ll teach you how to make a proper pie,” Bitty declares. “I just have to get over it…” Bitty says more quietly, mostly to himself. Unfortunately for him, Jack is close enough to make out his words.

“Get over what? The checking?” Jack puts an awkward hand on Bitty’s shoulder. “I’ve only really coached very small kids but…I could try and help you.”

“What?” Bitty is suddenly very aware of the warmth radiating from Jack’s hand into his body.

“Help with the checking I mean. One on one training outside of the normal schedule,” Jack says. “I can show you some tricks and moves that I use, and try and get you used to checks. I know I sound like my father, but practice is really the only way things will get better, hard as it is.”

“I know,” Bitty says. “I know.” There’s a lot to consider here; what Bitty thinks of Jack now, everything that’s brought Bitty to this point, where he wants to go from here, and everything in between. But at the end of the day Bitty needs to get used to checking if he wants to stay with the Falconers. He knows this. He’s just surprised at himself; it’s the first time he’s really admitted even internally that he’d like to stay with the team, for as long as he can stand in the ring and fight.

Bitty lets out a deep exhale.

“Alright Jack Zimmermann, I’ll teach you how to bake a proper pie if you teach me how to hold my own,” Bitty says. “Then we’re even.”

Jack nods. “Fair enough.” He stands and makes his way to leave, but stops before he reaches the door. “Hopefully we’ll get to be friends, and not just ‘even,’ I hope.”

Bitty feels a lump in his throat.

“Get some rest, Bitty,” Jack says. “I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.” And without turning back Jack Zimmermann is out the door and Bitty is alone to deal with his new reality, a headache, and a warm feeling in his stomach that is becoming more and more undeniable.

_Dear lord_, Bitty thinks_, I hope I’m not falling for a straight boy._


	6. Chapter 6

Bitty flops onto his bed exhausted, despite the fact that it’s only 3 in the afternoon. But he smiles contentedly as he rolls over to check his phone. It’s a good kind of exhausted. Last night he’d made the mistake of agreeing to engage in some high stakes Mario Kart racing with Chowder, Nursey, and Dex or ‘the frogs’ as Bitty has affectionately come to call them (“it’s because you’re always hopping around and making noise” Bitty had replied with a laugh when asked about the name). Chowder had ultimately emerged as victorious as a proverbial dark horse, leaving Bitty in awe and Nursey and Dex to fight over the scraps for a higher ranking. Though it had been late into the night, far past their ‘recommended’ bed time for an optimal sleep schedule, Bitty had felt wide awake with competitive energy and giddiness. In some ways it had felt like a high school sleepover that he’d never actually experienced. Over the weeks, the whole team had started to feel like that, actually. One big friend group that Bitty had never realized was missing from his life, but simultaneously had felt like they had all always been there. He couldn’t really imagine life anymore without morning runs with Pikachu and Lardo and her vaporeon in the gym, followed by coffee. Ridiculous hijinks with Ransom and Holster and Shitty. The frogs. And Jack…

Bitty can’t help but sigh. While the ice that previously existed between them has now completely thawed, Jack is anything but easy on Bitty in their early morning training sessions. Bitty still has to grit his teeth every time he has to attack Jack to allow Pikachu to slip past on the training field, but Bitty can feel himself getting better. He’s not necessarily relaxed now, per say, but he can stop his body from shutting down and flinching now. He can actually land hits of his own now. And he and Pikachu are more in sync than ever, which makes Bitty happier than anything. At last Bitty feels like he could stand in the ring with the Falconers. That’s no longer an impossibility. No matter what ends up happening after the camp ends (which isn’t something Bitty really wants to think about), he at least feels like he can stand on his own, no matter where he ends up going. 

Jack himself, however, is a far more complicated matter. At this point, Bitty’s willful denial has all but crumbled to dust. Because what can he do, really? No matter how he tries not to overthink his interactions with Jack, Bitty finds himself staring even in the most innocuous moments, like when Jack is reading a history book in lounge and Bitty just  _ happens  _ to be passing by. There’s something special in every moment, whether it’s the slight furrow of Jack’s brows when he’s trying really hard to concentrate. Jack’s full body laugh, which is deep and musical and undeniably infectious. The way Jack’s hair sticks up every which way when he gets up first thing in the morning. Bitty’s head and heart have slowly started to fill up with all of these little bits of Jack, and sooner or later, the dam in Bitty’s soul is going to burst. 

Bitty would rather it be later. He feels like he’s finally found his place in the team. What good would it do now  _ really _ for Bitty to say anything to Jack. What good would it ever? The last thing Bitty wants to do is jostle the rhythm of the Falconers, especially now that their teamwork has start to improve so much (as Georgia has glowingly stated in a number of her recent speeches/emails). There’s also the matter of how Pikachu and Jack’s Articuno have grown surprisingly close. Perhaps it’s just a result of all the additional training hours spent together, but whenever Pikachu is feeding or playing in the terrain areas for all the Pokémon, it seems Articuno is also there. If things ever… changed between Bitty and Jack, how would it affect Pikachu? Pikachu, who’s been Bitty’s closest friend and confidant for so long. The last thing Bitty wants to do is potentially complicate things for everyone because of a maybe kinda sorta crush. So he does his best to squelch down all the little moments, to shove them to the bottom of his heart and to the back of his mind. Because that’s what’s best for everyone involved, right?

At the same time, Bitty also can’t help but hope that his feelings are mutual. He can’t help but hope that he and Jack’s (now frequent) sessions of baking together aren’t just something between friends. That when Jack’s hand brushes against his to reach for a bag of flour that it isn’t just an accident. Because in spite of Bitty’s best efforts, there’s something that catches in his throat each time he looks over and sees Jack smiling at him. And that something can’t be willed away or even remotely handled by Bitty. Not at all.

“Bits!” Shitty pounding on his door scares Bitty right out of his swirling thoughts and back into reality.

“Yeah Shitty?” Bitty asks, trying to keep an even tone of voice that conveys absolutely zero of his thoughts about Jack just now.

“Don’t forget it’s Lardo’s birthday dinner tonight! We’re all meeting in the lounge at five to walk to the hyper rail station together.”

It dawns on Bitty that today is Sunday and not Saturday and that consequently, he can’t just stay in his towel and on twitter for the rest of the day.

“See you then!” Bitty calls in what is hopefully his usual cheerful voice. After lying on the bed for a few more seconds, Bitty forces himself up off his bed and stumbling towards the small closet in his room. Hopefully he still has a nice-ish shirt that’s also clean in there. And then he still needs to wrap Lardo’s present and make sure Pikachu’s been fed. As Bitty springs into frenzied action he’s allowed to forget about Jack for just a moment. And then maybe the earth won’t shatter beneath his feet.

…

“You motherfuckers better not sing happy birthday to me!” Lardo declares as a server carrying something that looks suspiciously like a birthday cake approaches their table. Everyone is in high spirits after a few courses of rich food and more than a few drinks because hey, it’s Saturday. Let’s all live a little. Bitty is incredibly excited for the cake, even though it’s not even _his_ birthday. He only remembers going to the Cheesecake Factory once as a kid, but the memory of that cake had such an impact on him, that he was ecstatic upon hearing Lardo’s restaurant of choice.

“Nonsense, Lardo,” Shitty replies, “We’re not going to simply _sing_ ‘Happy Birthday,’ we’re going to perform.” And as the cake finally touches down at their table, the team erupts into a raucous rendition of Happy Birthday, drawing more than a few stares and laughs. Ransom is pretending that he’s conducting the group while Holster is attempting to harmonize with the rest of the group. Everyone has their arms around each other and Lardo is pretending to be embarrassed but everyone can see how widely she’s grinning. Bitty smiles at her from across the table, sharing in her glee.

“And many moooore!” Shitty finishes as the rest of the group clap for their own marvelous performance.

“Let’s just eat the cake,” Lardo says, but Bitty can tell she’s tearing up a little.

“Love you, Lards,” Shitty replies. “Now Jack, help me distribute this cake.”

“I call dibs on the first slice!” Holster shouts.

“It’s not your birthday, Holster!” Nursey retorts, but his hand is also snaking towards a slice of cake that Shitty has put on a small plate.

“Bitty?” Jack passes a plate to Bitty and their hands brush as Bitty takes the cake from him. Even though it’s a small thing, Bitty feels his cheeks warm up as he and Jack hold eye contact for a milli-second longer than necessary. Bitty wants to blame the fire in his face on the alcohol he’s consumed but he knows it’s simply Jack. There’s no way around it. Bitty devotes himself to eating his cake to redirect his mind from that train of thought. The cheesecake is divine, as expected. Bitty wasn’t necessarily sure how well the oreo flavoring/crumble on this cake would work but it melts beautifully in the mouth. In spite of their nutritionist, Bitty is making mental notes on the cake as he eats it, to perhaps recreate it, or a similar version of it at home. Bitty has to pause for a second when he realizes that home now means the Falconers. Home is all around him, the training center, that’s home too. Home has finally found him. And that’s something so unfathomable to Bitty but also so completely true now that he’s thought about it.

“You alright, Bitty?” Dex asks from Bitty’s left. Bitty nods quickly and goes back to his cake, except it’s more than cake now. This whole camp is bigger now. It’s an unexpected homecoming. And perhaps a place for unexpected love? Bitty sneaks a quick glance at Jack. _I shouldn’t get my hopes up too much_, Bitty thinks to himself. But that conviction is hazy and he knows it. But Bitty doesn’t want to think to hard about it. This night is for Lardo and this night is now. Everything else can be dealt with in the morning.

…

They’re on the hyper rail train back when the phone call happens. It’s late enough that the team has managed to find themselves a fairly empty car, so there isn’t anyone but themselves. Jack’s phone buzzes and, whoever it is, Jack’s whole face shifts into a grimace. The phone vibrates a few more times before Jack finally picks up. He physically stands up and moves to the empty part of the car, which causes everyone to look up with confusion. No one says anything, and Jack’s words echo between the metal train poles.

“Why the hell are you calling me, Parse?” Jack asks angrily.

Ransom whispers something to Holster, to which Holster nods solemnly. Bitty is both concerned and curious but feels that right now isn’t the time to ask questions.

“No, I’m not going to drive up from Providence! No, don’t come to me either! I just—” Jack puts a hand to his temple.

Nursey is trying to whistle nonchalantly, but the tension radiating off of Jack’s body is so overwhelming that it’s unavoidable.

“Don’t tell me that you miss me! Not now. Not ever!” Jack takes a deep breath, and it almost seems like he’s crying.Bitty’s never seen Jack cry, and more than anything he wants to go over and wrap his arms around Jack’s body and tell him that everything will be okay. But Bitty doesn’t move.

“Have a nice life.” Jack hisses through his teeth before slamming the end call button with an index finger. The rest of the train ride passes in silence, and when the gang finally reaches their stop, Jack runs out before anyone else. Bitty almost runs after him, but Shitty holds out a hand to stop Bitty.

“I think he wants some space right now, Bits,” Shitty says. Bitty nods, wide-eyed.

“I’m pretty sure that was Kent Parson,” Holster says. “Of course Jack doesn’t wanna talk about it.”

Shitty shakes his head at Holster as Bitty asks “Who’s Kent Parson?”

“Who’s Kent Parson?” Ransom asks. “Bitty he’s only one of the current stars of the Pokémon trainer world right now! He trains with the Las Vegas Aces.”

“More than a little dreamy,” Holster adds, “and ex-best friend of Jack Zimmermann.”

“No one knows exactly what went down,” Ransom says, “but there’s speculation for years, not to mention countless fics written on the ao3 and—”

“Whatever happened is Jack’s business.” Shitty says coolly, and Bitty realizes this is the most serious he’s seen Shitty ever. “We should all get to bed.”

As they walk back from the train station, everyone is silent, and Bitty feels emotions roiling through his mind. He’s curious about Parse (_were they boyfriends?_) but doesn’t want to upset Jack. His feelings seem like they’re past of no return (_but I shouldn’t hope for anything)_. There’s too many things going through his mind to even process completely. When Bitty reaches his room, he almost (almost) knocks on Jack’s door to check on him, but stops midway. _What right do I have to ask? To care? _Bitty wonders. He ultimately decides to just go back to his room. But even after peeling off his clothes and flopping back onto his bed, Bitty spends a good amount of time staring out into the darkness before finally drifting off into a dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Bitty doesn’t say anything to Jack about the phone call the next morning. What would he even say? He just gives Jack a normal good morning smile as he heads to the gym to run with Lardo. Jack smiles back and waves, and everything feels like normal. Well, normal as normal can be. Bitty’s head is still reeling (from both the alcohol he consumed last night as well as with concern for Jack), but he just keeps moving forward. Because again, what else would he even do? There’s some light tension later at the usual group sparring session, but that tension is quickly broken up by some general silliness from the frogs. Even Jack joins in the general laughter and  _ oh  _ there it is again, that beautiful laugh that makes Bitty’s chest swell with warmth like no other. Even when things are back to ‘normal,’ Jack is still complicated, at least to Bitty’s heart. Even a gentle innocent love can feel like a violent storm if you don’t know where the sun is. Bitty tries desperately to shove down these thoughts and feelings and focus on blocking Holster’s attacks with Pikachu, but his mind ultimately keeps returning to Jack, for it is simply too easy to get lost in Jack’s laser sharp focus as he fights, his rippling back muscles… Bitty almost trips over his own foot, but catches himself just in time before anyone else notices.

_Focus_, Bitty chastises himself mentally before resuming play. Above all else, Bitty should be focusing on making the most of the time he has left with the Falconers. The training camp is coming to an end all too soon and Bitty’s future feels very much up in the air. Georgia hasn’t mentioned anything recently about him potentially continuing on with the Falconers into the regular season, and Bitty doesn’t want to make any assumptions. Even just being here in this space, at this camp, with these actual, professional trainers. It still all seems so incredibly surreal, and Bitty is so thankful for these few weeks. He doesn’t dread returning to the bakery, but it also doesn’t seem as homey as it used to. The fulfillment he’s felt here at the training facility has been incredible, and Bitty desperately wants to cling to that forward motion for as long as possible.

“You alright, Bitty?” Jack asks after the game is finished. “You seemed a little…distracted today.”

“I’m fine.” Bitty laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “I…” Bitty looks up into Jack’s glassy blue eyes and the tiniest voice in the back of Bitty’s head whispers that he should just tell Jack how he feels, that he might be gone in a few days, so what does he have to lose, really?

“Yeah?” Jack’s face is so soft and open, it just about kills Bitty.

“I…” Bitty’s momentary confidence has now utterly dissipated and he wants to flee the scene as quickly as possible. “I…left a…pie baking in the…weight room! Sorry!” And Bitty immediately takes off running, not wanting to face anyone at this particular moment.

“Hmm,” Holster says as he watches Bitty’s quickly retreating form with the rest of the team. “What’s suspicious isn’t the obvious lie, but the fact that Bitty would never leave a pie unattended.”

“Curiouser and curiouser,” Ransom agrees.

Lardo sighs, fully aware of Bitty’s painfully obvious crush on Jack.

“You guys are idiots.”

…

After a hasty shower, Bitty has retreated into the Pokémon habitats after the fiasco of earlier today. His brain just feels so muddled with longing and confusion and fear that Bitty doesn’t really know what to do with himself. He knows that the future is something he needs to face eventually. And with that future comes decisions that have to be made, one way or another. But for now, Bitty just doesn’t want to think. So he sits with Pikachu by a little water pond in the Pokémon living area as Pikachu plays with Lardo’s baby Lotad. The Lotad is still learning to walk and is still waddling more than anything, but the creature is still trying to play chase with Pikachu, falling over ever so often as it tries to keep up. Bitty finds himself comforted by these little moments, and laughs softly as the Pokémon play together, truly without a care in the world. Bitty is so engrossed in watching Pikachu and Lotad that he doesn’t hear someone entering the terrain space and approaching through the grass.

“May I sit here as well?” Bitty looks up and is surprised to see Jack standing there, wearing a soft blue Falconer’s hoodie and neon yellow shorts. Because of course he is.

“Of course you can sit, Jack.” Bitty looks down bashfully as Jack sits on a patch of grass beside him.

There’s silence for a moment as it seems both of them are searching for the right words to say.

“Where’s articuno?” Bitty asks, choosing a safe topic to clear the air. “I know Pikachu would love to see him.” Pikachu looks up from nuzzling Lotad and goes ‘pika pika!’ as if to affirm Bitty’s statement.

“Heh,” Jack says, “He’s taking a nap right now, but I’m sure he’ll come to play with Pikachu later.”

‘Pika pika!’

Jack and Bitty lock eyes for a second before bursting into laughter. There’s something about Pikachu that makes it hard to keep feeling tense or sad. It’s kind of magical.

“Anyway,” Jack says after finally recovering from his laughter. “I just wanted to come and see how you’re doing.”

“Me?” Bitty’s cheeks are pink. “I’m really fine Jack. Nothing to worry about here! Just me!” Even Bitty has to admit how strained his voice sounds. Lying has never been a strong point of Bitty’s, even when it might be useful to him to conceal the truth.

“Alright,” Jack says softly. “Even if you’re doing fine, I just wanted to uh…apologize.”

“What?” Bitty is as confused as he’s ever been about Jack.

“I feel like I’ve somehow made you uncomfortable, and I wanted to say sorry,” Jack says. “And I also know I was pretty cold to you when your first came here, and if you’re still upset about that I completely understand.”

Bitty isn’t quite sure how to react.

“If you want me to leave I can go,” Jack adds. “I didn’t mean to intrude at all.” He makes to stand up but Bitty lightly touches his wrist.

“No, stay!” Bitty urges. His hand feels hot from where it’s making contact with Jack but Bitty doesn’t move it. “I’m not mad at you.”

“You’re not?” Jack asks.

“No! I was just…” Bitty thinks about how he wants to phrase his feelings. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind,” Bitty eventually says, “And I was worried about you after that phone call on the train last night.”

Bitty sees Jack’s face tense up slightly and wonders if he’s said the wrong thing.

“I know it’s absolutely none of my business,” Bitty adds hastily. “I just wondered if you’re okay?”

Bitty’s voice trails off at the end of his question and it’s silent again by the pond.

“It was just weird,” Jack says, “hearing from Parse out of the blue like that.” Jack’s voice is low, his face guarded.

“You don’t have to talk to about it,” Bitty says softly, rubbing circles into Jack’s wrist.

“I want to,” Jack replies. “I want to talk with you.”

Bitty’s heart is in his throat as Jack continues.

“Parse and I we… we used to be together. We were best friends in the junior training league… and we did everything with each other. We were a good team.”

Bitty can feel the deep sadness emanating from Jack and senses there’s more to ‘together’ that Jack isn’t saying, but doesn’t press. This is what Jack is comfortable sharing for right now, and that’s more than enough for Bitty.

“But he wasn’t…it wasn’t…” Jack pauses. “It wasn’t healthy for either of us. And I…I had a really hard time right before the big junior draft for starting in the professional leagues and Parse just… wasn’t there for me.”

“I see,” Bitty says softly.

“We haven’t really spoken since outside of Pokemon battling, so it was…jarring to hear his voice on the phone again.” Jack says. “Sometimes I wish we could still be friends again. Articuno and his Hypnos get along well. It would be nice to not be so tense.” Jack sighs. “But I don’t think either of us are really ready for that yet.”

“It’s okay to not be ready yet,” Bitty says. “I don’t know if I’ll forgive my parents for how they acted after I came out, but it doesn’t mean I don’t still care about them.”

Bitty claps his hand over his mouth as he realizes what he just said for absolutely no fucking reason.

“Ah I’m sorry I didn’t mean…” Bitty has no words.

“You don’t have to tell me the details,” Jack says. “I understand. Feelings are…complicated.”

“Amen to that,” Bitty agrees.

“Also…” Jack starts.

“Also?”

“Another part of the reason I don’t feel ready to reconcile with Parse is that I’m still trying to sort out the feelings I have for someone else.”

Bitty’s breath hitches.

“Someone else?” Bitty is burning as he realizes how close Jack is to him. How close their lips are. How easy it would be to make the distance between them zero. Jack’s eyes are wide like dish saucers and Bitty hopes, desperately hopes, that Jack is thinking the same thing.

“Bitty,” Jack’s voice is more timid than Bitty’s ever heard it. “Can I kiss you?”

“Please.” Bitty’s voice breaks as he finally gives into the yearning he’s felt for what feels like a lifetime. “Jack, please.”

And then Jack sweetly brings his lips to Bitty’s, and it feels like the whole world is now spinning slightly slower as time stops, and all Bitty is conscious of is Jack’s lips on his.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //tw graphic description of an anxiety attack in this chapter from “he rolls up to the training arena” to the break in the text with three dots

Bitty is still reeling from the kiss, even the next morning after. Despite the initial giddiness following the kiss, Jack had left rather abruptly afterwards as the frogs came into the Pokémon habitat and interrupted their private time, but Bitty can’t help but wonder if Jack is having second thoughts. Is Bitty really the ‘someone else’ Jack has feelings for now? Was the kiss just a heat of the moment thing? Is Jack having second thoughts? All these questions and more swirl around Bitty’s head as he half heartedly makes some oatmeal for breakfast. He tries to casually ask Lardo if she’s seen Jack but she admits she hasn’t seen him around either. And her knowing, pitying smile only makes Bitty feel worse. Bitty has been slowly watching the days till the end of camp count down with deeper passing dread each day, and his new anxiety about Jack is just the icing on the cake. Will he even see Jack again after the training camp ends? If he doesn’t, is that what Jack wants. Logically the answer is no, but the shitty little voice inside Bitty’s head yet again tells him ‘ _ what if you’re not wanted _ .’ It’s unfortunately all too easy to believe that false conclusion. As much as Bitty tries to go on with the day to day. No matter how much he tries to claim that it’s ‘not a big deal’ and it ‘happened a long time ago’ he’s still broken up about being rejected by his parents for coming out. And more than anything, Bitty doesn’t want to be rejected by anyone else. He can’t handle being rejected by anyone else. And this new uncertainty about Jack plays right into all of Bitty’s little insecurities that have been pushed deep beneath the surface. Before, Bitty worried about falling in love with a straight boy. But ultimately, Bitty was just scared of falling in love, period. And now it feels like his heart is aching with ardor as he runs on the treadmill, as he lifts weights, as he tries to just keep working and going and flowing. Because what else can he do?

“Are you sure you don’t want to take a break, Bitty?” Lardo asks after seeing Bitty go back for  _ another _ round on the elliptical. “It kinda seems like you’re overworking yourself a little. Take it easy.”

“I’m fine,” Bitty says through gritted teeth. “I just wanna get pumped UP for the scrimmage later.” Bitty’s ragged breathing burns his lungs, but he keeps his focus entirely on the machine under him, what’s ahead of him. He doesn’t want to look back into his friend’s worried eyes. Because that tenderness would be all too much right now.

“Okay,” Lardo says uncertainly. “I guess I’ll see you later then. I’ll just leave this Gatorade for you.” Lardo leaves sadly as Bitty continues to huff and puff, knowing full well that Bitty probably won’t stop for a drink. _Jack_, she thinks silently, _I know you’re an awkward Canadian but please talk to him. That boy needs you right now_.

…

Bitty is already exhausted when he rolls up to the training arena. He didn’t give himself time to take a shower after working out, so he’s still in his sweaty t-shirt and shorts from the morning. Pikachu keeps nuzzling his leg with concern every so often but Bitty just pats him on the head breathlessly instead of stopping. All Bitty can think about is putting one foot in front of the other.

“You okay, Bitty?” Chowder asks as he gently rubs his Gibble. “You look exhausted.

“Yeah bro,” Nursey chimes in. “Like did you go partying without the rest of us last night?”

“It’s nothing,” Bitty breathes. “I’m fine.”

“You sure Bits?” Shitty asks. “Your vibes aren’t as luscious today my dude.”

“It’s okay,” Bitty freezes up slightly as he notices Jack walk in. “Let’s just get started.” He pointedly walks to the other side of the field and gets into position, not really giving anyone space to argue.

“Alright!” Jack says, his voice a tad more subdued than normal. “Everyone take the G formation that we’ve been practicing and then let’s get started.” Jack’s Articuno makes a little affirmative noise and Bitty feels his heart clench up. There’s something so sweet and tender inside him just begging to be felt and Bitty doesn’t know how to deal with it. Anxiety is threatening to swallow him up to the point that everything else around him is just fuzz and noise and Bitty doesn’t realize that the scrimmage has started until he feels someone crash into him.

“On your left!” Lardo shouts. “Look out Bitty!”

Bitty’s brain doesn’t allow him to react and suddenly he’s being hit square in the chest with a sound attack by Holster’s Exploud and goes flying backwards, going straight into the sidewall of the arena. Bitty is dazed as he tries to crawl to his feet and feels a wave of pain up his side. His anxiety and the burning in his side compete for utter control of his senses as Bitty’s mind swirls in agony. He faintly hears someone blowing a whistle and yelling to stop play but Bitty can’t tell who it is.

“Come on,” a voice says and Bitty feels someone hoisting him up and helping him walk off the field. “Bittle you should rest. Lardo told me you’ve been overworking yourself.”

Bitty looks up a realizes the person helping him is Jack and instinctively recoils.

“Bitty?” the hurt in Jack’s voice is apparent, but Bitty can’t stop the words that come out of his mouth.

“Jack if you’re having second thoughts I totally get it, you don’t have to pretend to be nice to me,” Bitty says. “I’ll just be here for a few more days and then you’ll never have to see me again. You don’t have act like that kiss wasn’t a mistake.”

“It wasn’t a mistake!” Jack urges. “I just…”

“Left without saying goodbye and haven’t talked to me since?” Bitty opens his mouth to speak again but all that comes out is strained gasping. He feels air struggling to come in and of his lungs and tries to take deep breaths but just ends up hyperventilating.

“Bitty?” Jack’s voice feels like it’s coming from underwater as the world around Bitty starts to go fuzzy again. “Let’s get you to the locker room.”

Bitty vaguely feels Jack leading him off the field and sitting him down on a cool metal bench but everything is just struggling to breathe struggling to breathe struggling to breathe.

“Hey, Bitty can you hear me? Bitty?” Jack’s hands are on his shoulders now. “I need you to breathe for me, okay?”

Bitty nods shakily.

“I’m gonna count, okay? Breathe in one two three four. Out one two three four.” Jack says. “Can we do that again? Breathe in one two three four. Out one two three four. Again.”

And Bitty starts to slowly feel air in his lungs again, and maybe, just maybe things will be okay.

…

Bitty finally feels calm enough that the world isn’t a jumbled mess of sounds and colors and he can take in the situation around him, which is currently him and Jack, alone in the locker room, and Jack making him drink water to stay hydrated.

“Bitty please don’t overwork yourself like that again,” Jack urges as he takes the finished cup of water from Bitty. “I was so worried.”

“I’m sorry,” Bitty whispers. “ I just uh….” Bitty can’t think of what to say. “Anxiety.” Bitty finally finishes.

“Me!” Jack exclaims. “Euh uh same!”

Bitty nods with a soft smile, understanding that Jack gets it. It makes sense. He knew exactly what to do to get Bitty breathing again.

“Thank you for helping me,” Bitty says, looking down at his feet. “I’ve been feeling a lot of stress lately and I did take it out on myself, but also on you. And I’m sorry Jack. That wasn’t fair.” Bitty sighs. “I just care about you a lot, and I’m worried about getting hurt again.”

“I know how you feel,” Jack says. “And I’m sorry I left so abruptly yesterday. I’m just not really out to the frogs or the team yet, and everything was all so new.”

Bitty nods.

“But I don’t regret the kiss. Not at all.” Jack tentatively covers Bitty’s hand with his own. “I like you a lot Bitty. And I know we’re both still figuring things out, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it together.”

“I want to figure out things with you.” Bitty says sheepishly. “However long it takes.”

“Please just talk to me about things,” Jack says. “I want to be there for you.”

“So do I,” Bitty says, looking directly into Jack’s sparkling blue eyes. Bitty’s heart is swelling with warmth and he feels this tension in his belly which for once isn’t anxiety, but something positive. Something hopeful.

“Bitty?” Jack asks. “Could I have the honor of kissing you again?”

“Of course,” Bitty breathes. And then he’s tilting his head up to meet Jack’s lips and _oh_ this softness is everything Bitty’s ever needed and wanted. They kiss again and again and again until there’s a banging on the locker room door followed by a shout to ‘hurry it up in there!’ And even then they kiss some more, because why the hell not?


	9. Epilogue

“And all you have to do is sign on that dotted line here,” Georgia says.

Bitty looks between her and the paper and pen before him in disbelief. After all the worry and uncertainty, there’s an arrow pointing him towards the future. And it’s a future with the Falconers.

“And it’s okay that I stay here?” Bitty asks, wanting to double check and triple check that this isn’t a dream.

“Yes!” Georgia says emphatically. “Room and board is included in the contract, Bitty. We want you here. We’re going to take care of you.”

And Bitty can tell that Georgia means it, every word of it. Even though Bitty hasn’t spent as much time with Georgia as with the other players, he’s come to feel a strong sense of respect and care for her. And Bitty knows there’s no place he’d rather be but here, with her, the Falconers, and Jack.

“And it’s okay that I take time to set my affairs in order and sell my apartment and—”

“Bitty,” Georgia cuts him off. “Whatever your question is, it’s okay. Now sign the damn contract already.”

Bitty laughs at that and picks up the pen in front of him with new conviction. The pen makes a satisfying scritch scratch as Bitty signs his name and it feels like a new universe is in front of him, waiting to be discovered.

“Congrats Bitty on officially becoming a member of the Falconers!” Georgia claps for him and Bitty does his best imitation of a performance bow. “Don’t forget,” Georgia says. “Just because you’re with us for the long run now doesn’t mean the coaches will take things easy on you. I’m gonna talk to the coaches about intensifying your training regime so you can make your trainer debut sooner. In a manageable way, of course.”

“Yes m’am!” Bitty says, his voice filled with giddiness. He leaves Georgia’s office and makes his way back to his room but is stopped by a pair of arms that scoop him up and spin him around.

“Congratulations, Bitty,” Jack says warmly. “I’m so proud of you.” He presses a chaste kiss to Bitty’s lips before setting him down.

“Thanks sweet pea,” Bitty replies. “When did you get back from Montreal?”

“Just now,” Jack says. “My parents say hello, by the way.”

“You told them about us?” Bitty asks fervently. “But I haven’t even had the chance to send them an introductory basket of baked goods!”

Jack laughs heartily at that. “Bittle they still adore you regardless, and they’d love to meet you when I go back home next.”

“I think I’d like that,” Bitty says. “Maybe not now, but… eventually.” Jack smiles and wraps Bitty up in a warm hug.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jack says. “We have all the time in the world.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @blushgon (previously blushadora)!


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